Gone are the days when coding was a very specialized talent. Now both kids and adults can actually learn how to code without necessarily having extensive programming background. The folks over at Area 120, Google’s experimental “facility” have now come up with an app that can teach you how to code in Javascript and you can learn it for free. The way that they teach it to you involves a bit of gamification, similar to what apps like Duolingo have successfully employed.
Once you open the app, you’ll be asked if you’re a beginner or if you’ve already had some experience in coding. You’ll then get a brief tutorial and afterwards, you’ll choose a practice schedule. Yes, you will have to actually use the app every day as they recommend it, but you can choose how often you want to be reminded to actually go through a lesson daily. Obviously you will start with the fundamentals but as you progress, things get more difficult.
The app has visual puzzles so as to develop your problem solving skills and also to solidify the coding concepts you have to learn. Just like with games, you are able to collect Achievements as you learn new skills and level up. The Achievements tab shows you your streaks, the keys you’ve learned and of course the concepts you’ve already unlocked. If you want to create whatever you want as you gain more knowledge, there’s also a Code Playground section.
You can download Grasshopper from the Google Play Store for free. The app looks a bit bare bones at this time but expect the Area 120 people to continuously improve on it.
SOURCE: Grasshopper
